Month: April 2015

I put in a request to the resident handyman (Edgar – my Father in Law) to build me a more substantial and useful version of a standing station for my art room.

This is the standing station that my FIL Edgar built for me based on the measurements I took from the temporary version. It doubles as a drying rack. Brilliant! 🙂

You can see the temporary version featured in my previous post here. I already had 2 tables at which I could sit and paint/draw but I figured I could only sit at one at a time – so why not make the second table into a standing station?

This is the permanent version – and it’s brilliant! I usually paint A4 or A3 size papers, but by allowing for an A2-sheet-plus-a-bit I ended up with shelves which can take twice the number of papers that used to fit on the available floor space – and I don’t have to keep dodging around them worrying about leaving painted footprints all round the house. The shelves are completely removable so I can use them to carry the wet artwork around easily too.

It’s very sturdy and just perfect for my needs. The tables have not been altered at all so if I ever need to use both tables together I can easily move the standing station elsewhere temporarily. This is one of the best birthday presents I’ve ever had 🙂

I used this set up as a standing station for months. I used the stack of plastic box, upside down ironing board and drawing board to get exactly the right height for working whilst standing up. For me that is 38cm above the desk top.

I’ve known for a long time that alternating between sitting and standing to work has lots of health benefits over sitting for all work. So I rigged up a temporary standing station and have been using it for months – changing the items in the stack until I found the perfect height. The height of this plastic box/ironing board, drawing board stack has worked perfectly although the board on the top is a bit wobbly – especially if I lean on it too far towards the back or the front edges.

I measured the total height from the top of the table to the top of the drawing board (for me, and knowing it would always go on the same table, this turned out to be 38cm). Then I analysed what else I needed this standing station to do. I needed lots of removable shelves about an inch or so apart that could take an A2 (420 x 594 mm) sheet of paper (for when I’m painting papers so they’re not sitting all over the floor while they dry). The worktop and shelves needed to be moisture resistant. I knew it would be reasonably heavy (a good thing – it won’t move as I work on it) so I wanted a “lip” at the front and back so it could be lifted easily. It needed a back so that papers wouldn’t get pushed through, and the back also served as extra support for the shelves. I wanted the front to be open so that air could circulate and help the papers to dry faster. I wanted a bit of extra width on the worktop to allow me to have an A2 paper plus a small paint dish beside it. Once I had decided all these things I put in a request to Edgar the resident handyman (Father in Law). It took a few weeks but I now have the perfect standing station – to be revealed in the next post 🙂

Close up of collage, linocut print and mixed media on acid free 600gsm cardboard. April 2015

This is a detail shot of my latest completed collage (the 7th I think). I used some of the papers I have been painting over the last few weeks (3 out of 100’s – grin). I had carved a couple of lino-cuts just before Christmas and used one of them for this piece. I printed the lino cut with Derivan Block Ink and later worked into the piece with Derwent coloured pencil, Pitt Indian Ink Artist pen and Rembrandt soft pastel. I will give it a few coats of fixative because of the pastel and pencil before storing it. This series of collages are all 20cm W by 30cm H.

Chinese paper placed on slight slope, dilute blue paint dribbled along top edge. Whilst still wet the paper was turned 180 degrees and dilute red paint dribbled from the opposite edge. This is the front view (allowed to dry on plastic).

This is Chinese paper which is sold by Jacksons Art Supplies. The only bit I can read on the label says “Xue Shan” which I presume to be the company which makes it. The paper is very absorbent, has a shiny side and a dull side and has a vague stripe running through it (guidelines for their calligraphy?). I placed a piece on plastic on a slight slope. I dampened the paper and put very dilute blue paint along the top edge and watched it slowly make it’s way down the slope. Once this was dry I turned the bottom edge to the top and did the same with red. I really like the blending and the following of creases, I also like the way the paint went around air bubbles. The top photo shows the front (the side I painted) and

Chinese paper placed on slight slope, dilute blue paint dribbled along top edge. Whilst still wet the paper was turned 180 degrees and dilute red paint dribbled from the opposite edge. This is the back (allowed to dry on plastic).

the lower photo shows the back. I think I actually like the back better.